‘Eat Traditional,stay Healthy’

KOCHI: The office-bearers of Kerala Hotel and Restaurant Association (KHRA) said they were not against outlets selling any type of food or delicacies. But they emphasised that it was the duty of the government and authorities concerned to make sure that authentic cuisines were served in hygienic conditions.
“We are ready to extend our support to the Food and Safety Department to ensure that only authentic and healthy food are served to the public. But they should also take steps to create awareness among the public on the necessity to cling to healthy food habits and the hazards of blindly aping foreign food habits and need to give preference to our traditional food culture,” said KHRA general secretary G Jayapal.

He said that along with raids on middle-level food outlets, the authorities concerned should take steps to prevent the widespread popularity of junk food among the new generation. “The overuse of Cola and other soft drinks, overuse of junk food and charred food are very dangerous,” he said.Awareness,Need of the Hour
Kochi: A proper awareness among the public on good food habits is the need of the hour, believe experts. According to Assistant Commissioner of Food Safety (Ernakulam), K V Shibu, it is not easy to convince the public of issues related to food habits. “After each raid, we expose the harmful effects of unhealthy food habits. There are many instances in the past, the recent one being the issues related to illegal ‘chaat’ shops. But has anyone stopped eating ‘chaat’ or ‘pani puri’?. What we can do is to make sure that quality food is served to public,” he said. Regarding the health threats posed by illegal Arabian food outlets, he said the Department would take necessary action. “Usually, such shops function from the evening. We will conduct regular inspections to make sure the delicacies are served in hygienic conditions,” Shibu said.